Developer: Steelkrill Studio
Platform: PC
Genre: Action, Adventure, Simulation
Publisher: Steelkrill Studio
The Stairway 7 is an endless loop anomaly hunter game. The game was developed and published by Steelkrill Studio. The Stairway 7 seems to take inspiration from other loop anomaly hunter games like Exit 8, I’m On Observation Duty and Shinkansen 0. This review was done on the PC.
The Stairway 7 is a single-player game where you have to hunt and observe for anomalies. It is quite like a Spot the Difference game, except here, you are stuck in an endless loop of stairways with a cat. At each stairway, you have to observe your surroundings carefully in order to reach the exit. The anomalies are watching and ready to hunt you down, so you need to be on high alert if you, wanna get out.
The controls to The Stairway 7 are extremely simple; you can interact with objects and signs with controls on the keyboard and use your mouse for the camera view. When starting the game, you interact with a sign that highlights the importance of how you remove anomalies, and that is by going back down the stairs. The first room acts as your ‘basis’ or ‘template’ from which you have to keep an eye out for anything that seems wrong. The main objective is not to overlook any changes in the environment. If you do not find any anomalies, then you continue going up the stairs. As you begin to progress, the game gets more difficult as it is harder to memorise the discrepancies in the environment. This is where you start to second guess yourself, which can lead to wrong turns.
What I like about this game that differs from other anomaly hunting games is that you have some help with you. Through the progression, you can find secret notes, medicine to heal and more items that you can add to your inventory. The game features many different types of anomalies, some of which may even come to you as a surprise.
The visuals of The Stairway 7 look realistic yet gruesome. The daunting atmospheric noise with heavy footsteps also creates a gloomy and horrifying environment. The colours are dull, and the lighting is kept dim, which adds to the gloominess. The visuals do a good job of showcasing the abandoned building through little details that include torn posters, garbage, leftover dolls, police tape and crawling ants. Also, I really like how your shadow shows up so big, which can frighten you in certain areas. Alongside the visuals, the game is perfect with a headset on because you can hear noise creaking and weird sounds in the back, which gives the game a much more eerie feel.
I quite enjoyed the game as it did have different mechanics from other anomaly-hunting games with the inclusion of a health system. What I liked was that even if you did end up dying, there were checkpoints that you were brought back to, so it would not require you to play through from the beginning. The game is relatively short, though. I was able to complete it in about an hour but still found it to be loads of fun. The game is different to usual games, which sets it apart and allows players to try something new. Rather than spotting the difference from the outside, you get placed in a spooky environment. The game also features some really well-timed jumpscares that were good additions. Lastly, the story that was driven in the game was a nice touch, and the sudden voice acting was also impressive as it added to the gameplay. Overall, it was a good game; it was pretty quick, but I would say it was definitely worth it.
If you’re looking for a quick game where you can put your anomaly-hunting skills to the test, then you need to try out these games. The game features an atmospheric ambience with eerie objects and jumpscares that set it apart from other anomaly-hunting games. The game features a cat, a nice addition to a story and intriguing anomalies that you just need to be on the lookout for. So, be sure to check out The Stairway 7!
Overall: 8/10
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